Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-01-13
LIE AND WEALTH.


aWsaa-te-Ds Uias< Laees Hoth % an -.
fort ~ Fad o Silver neraait.
Antelope Charley, a noted Indian
hunter and trapper. brought into the
Shoshone Agency, IN the northern por-
tod Of this Territory. not hong ago, o
..,:man skull and handful OF silver
specimens almost pure in their chalac-
ter. The CHASTITY relic and the bright
silver the Indian had found in Q
deep mountain gorge Of the Owl Greek
Mountains, in the vicinity Of those not
ed local landmarks, the WashakG Need
les. The skull was lying with its kin
dred portions Of a human skeleton, and
! the silver ore was contained in q mold
ering and rotten buckskin sack, vet
held in the grasp Of 4 bony hand. The
Indian lifted the sack from the hold OF
the skeletons fingers and it fell apart,
the glittering ore rolling upon the
ground amid the dry and bleaching
bones Antelope Charley gathered up
the ore specimens. aad taking the
skull to verify his story, brought both
skull and ore into the agency. The
Indians tale aroused the recdllections
OF several old-timeFs at the agency, and
furnished the KEY to u half forgotten
| mystery of the mountain frontier. In
the spring Of 1878 there appeared in
| the camp Of party Of piOspectors lo-
! Gated in the shadow of tlfe Washaku
Needles man well equipped for pros
/ pecting. He was stranger and
German, and soon became known to
! the camp he Joined rs Dutch Joe. Like
r. H.
steady, and it was not long before
Dutch Joe became the most indefatig-
able prospector Of the party.
No distance was too long for him TO
traverse, no mountain journey too lone
some for him 10 undertake; scaling
precipices and descending into can
| yons, he searched the mountains far
| and wide for the glittering ore on
whose possession he had conferred the
hopes Of his life.
At last, late in the summer, ne re-
turned to camp one evening FROM one
Of his wild and rugged trips. wearing
m eiated look, and it soon became
buzzed around that Dutch Joe had
struck it rich. Beyond q certain re-
pressed triumph in his manner he was
reticent. He was watched closely, how
ever, and a prOspector, DIGGING his
steps from camp the day after his re-
turn, saw him take from his bosom 4
buckskin sack and pour it ON u fair spot
of soil mass Of silver specimens, whose
| brittleness and evident purity took the
astonished watchman's breath away.
The lode those specimens came nom
must have been of fabulous richness.
Dutch Joe was now watched closer than
ever, with the intention of tracking him
TO the mountain treasure. But the sue
! cessful prospector was wary and suspi-
| cious, and one day the spying camp
found that he had eluded its interested
vigilance and was gone. In vain he
was searched for Not even trace o,
his departure could be found. and when
g. few days afterwards furious noun.
tain snowstorm set in the disappointed
plotters were forced to abandon the
hunt and bid farewell to the hope Of
enrichin@ themselves at Dutch Joe's
expense. But Dutch Joe was never
seen or heard of afterward. He and
his mountain treasure had alike van.
ished. The next spring came around
and brought neither Dutch Joe nor any
tidings of him. The belief became
general that he had persisted in the
mountain storm Immediately following
his disappearance, but the story of the
lost prospector was long told around
frontier camp-fires, with many specu-
lations on the value of the silver treas
ure, Of which he alone knew the loca-
ton. And now, thirteen years after
his disappearance, the discovery of the
/ Shoshone hunter comes 10 confirm the
fate of the lost prospector. He had
really persisted in that winter storm.
and had kept with him to the last in the
grip of his horny fingers the buekskin
sack. with its precious contents. A
party of men went from the agency un-
der the guidance of Antelope Charley,
and gave the bones of the lost discov-
erer of the treasure Christian burial. A
strong effort Will be made to find the
rich silver deposit for the sake of whose
riches Dutch Joe persisted amid the
SHOWS of the Owl ountains.-Ldrdnlie
(Wy. TO BoOnlrdn9.
|